A woman from Bolesławiec, Dorota Jaróg, sent nearly half a million zlotys over four years to a woman pretending to be a man. Małgorzata W., a fraudster from Raciborowo near Krotoszyn, made her fall in love with her and used the money. This continued until the victim was no longer creditworthy. Drowning in debt, she began refusing to take out further loans. When an acquaintance of Małgorzata W. (probably persuaded by her) failed to convince Dorota to send another sum, he decided to reveal the terrible truth to her. He confessed that the beloved who had promised love until death was a woman exploiting her without scruples (see the article “Love on credit”).
Dorota Jaróg reported the fraud to the police in the summer of last year. On Wednesday, December 8, Jelenia Góra judge Marek Buczek delivered the verdict. In the judge’s opinion, the fraud was sophisticated and planned. The convicted woman was assessed as someone inclined to emotional manipulation, satisfying her own needs without regard for other people’s feelings. Małgorzata W. was sentenced to two years and two months in prison. The Bolesławiec prosecutor’s office is satisfied with the verdict. It is not yet final; the defense has announced an appeal.
When Dorota Jaróg brought the fraud to the attention of the press and the case became widely known, Katarzyna S. contacted the newspaper “Rzecz Krotoszyńska.” She had been mentioned in one of the articles as a close friend of Małgorzata W. The fraudster introduced herself to Katarzyna as Oskar Bartosz Samujłowicz, and the woman being deceived—even during face-to-face meetings—did not discover that she was a woman.
A portrait of an emotional blackmailer
Dorota Jaróg may have seen the “beloved” to whom she sent nearly half a million zlotys for the first time in the courtroom in the summer of this year. The trial had been under way since February, and Małgorzata W. did not appear at the first three hearings. She came to the fourth hearing, possibly frightened by a journalist who interviewed her. During the conversation, the journalist explained that hiding and being absent from hearings would only harm her. The accused tried to hide in a psychiatric hospital; later, she claimed to have injuries that prevented her from attending the hearings. She also explained her absence by saying she lacked the money to travel to Jelenia Góra. She had never taken up permanent paid employment and was supported by her parents.
She was late for the hearing in July. The judge began without her, and everyone held their breath when she entered the courtroom. Dorota Jaróg was unable to look at her. She felt hatred. Małgorzata W. looked like a boy and was dressed accordingly: a simple nylon shirt, light jeans and sports shoes. The outfit was plain and did not emphasize feminine features. Her hairstyle was short and masculine. Earrings in her ear and near her mouth did not change the impression that Małgorzata could be mistaken for a young boy.
At the only hearing she attended, Małgorzata W. did not testify and refused to answer questions. She was silent and withdrawn, as if the whole situation did not concern her personally. Although she too saw Dorota in person for the first time, she listened to her testimony with a stony face. At times, when the victim described particularly complicated stories and spoke directly about the fraud, Małgorzata seemed like someone trying to hear the interesting statement more clearly. It was also impossible to tell whether Dorota’s confession had made an impression on her. In court, Dorota said that she had fallen deeply and sincerely in love with Szymon—the man Małgorzata had claimed to be. Without admitting the acts of which she was accused, Małgorzata merely confirmed what she had said during police questioning. She said that it was Dorota who wanted her to present herself to Dorota’s family as a man.
The defense: she was a lesbian
Małgorzata W. was not eager to give interviews to the press. Even so, she was more talkative with journalists than with the High Court. She told Janusz Jaros, a journalist for “Głos Wielkopolski,” that she and Dorota had confessed their lesbian love to each other at the very beginning of their acquaintance. For Małgorzata, who was 21 at the time, this was supposedly her first romantic relationship—with a woman almost ten years older than her. According to the fraudster, it was Dorota herself who suggested sending money to maintain the relationship. And it was Dorota who supposedly insisted that Małgorzata pretend to be a man in front of her family.
Małgorzata W. supposedly suffered greatly in the relationship because Dorota kept calling her and offering ever larger sums of money. This was allegedly what led the fraudster to a nervous breakdown. She herself did not know whether she was a woman or a man. She began drinking heavily and had to undergo treatment. She accepted the money almost under duress. Eventually, she fell in love with another girl, whom she began dating. Dorota supposedly went to the police out of jealousy.
A drop of truth in a sea of lies
It turned out that Małgorzata had been truthful about only one thing. She really was often seen with a girl in Raciborowo. Małgorzata’s sister, Ewa, gave the press information about her sister’s problems with gender identity. According to her sister, Małgorzata sometimes said that she would rather be a man. The sister even suggested that the girl Małgorzata had been dating for several months might not only be her partner, but also someone with whom the sister had shared the money obtained through the fraud.Accused of this, Katarzyna S. sent a letter explaining the situation. It was published in “Rzecz Krotoszyńska.” In it, Katarzyna admitted to meeting Małgorzata—or rather Oskar Bartosz Samujłowicz, as Małgorzata had presented herself. Oskar claimed to live in Krotoszyn. Just as she had deceived Dorota, she deceived Katarzyna by telling tearful stories about a sick father and a deceased mother. Katarzyna stated that she had never realized Oskar was not a man. She described Oskar as a person with a masculine build, no breasts and a slight moustache. The boy, she said, had visited her home several times and continued sending her text messages, signing them with a male name.
When journalists from “Rzecz Krotoszyńska” contacted Małgorzata and asked her about this relationship, she denied pretending to be a man. However, she confirmed that Katarzyna was her acquaintance. She also admitted accepting money from Dorota Jaróg, but stated that she had spent it herself.
Where is the half-million?
This is not, however, the most interesting question—the secret of Małgorzata W.’s gender is less important than how and with whom she spent the nearly half a million zlotys sent to her in installments by the woman from Bolesławiec. In an interview with “Głos Wielkopolski,” Małgorzata W. said that it could not have been that much money and that, had she known it came from loans, she would not have accepted it “for all the tea in China.”
According to journalists who spoke with residents of Raciborowo, Małgorzata W.’s poor family with many children had enjoyed a period of prosperity in recent years. They renovated the apartment in the four-family building where they lived. They added a bathroom and replaced the furniture with new pieces. They allegedly traded their small Fiat for a Nissan. They also began frequently inviting friends over for barbecues. A courier van started arriving at their home with ordered parcels.
22560(information by Grażyna Hanaf)